Our research has provided dairy producers with the understanding, knowledge, and data to communicate the improvements made in dairy industry environmental sustainability to consumers, dairy processors, and industry professionals. Such empowerment is an invaluable tool in maintaining the economic sustainability of the dairy industry in an era when the ethics and practices of animal agriculture are often under attack. Furthermore, the work has added to the body of knowledge concerning the environmental impact of food production, and thus provided increased opportunities for informed discussion of the use of technology, including biotechnology, within media and government.
impact statement issue
The global population is rapidly increasing, necessitating a considerable increase in food production to satisfy human nutrient requirements. A complicating factor is the decrease in available resources (land, water, fossil fuels) for agricultural production; therefore, as a demonstration of the agricultural industry’s commitment to sustainability, adopting technologies and management practices that maximize productive efficiency (food output per unit of resource input) while reducing the environmental impact of food production is crucial.
Previous environmental impact research has concentrated on individual processes within food production, expressing results per animal, per acre, or per farm. This approach provides valuable insights, but is ineffective in evaluating the national or global effect of food production. Life-cycle assessment provides an approach whereby technologies, management practices, and systems can be compared on a similar basis, incorporating all processes within the production system and expressing results per unit of food. Although all food production has an environmental impact, animal agriculture is particularly scrutinized and is often misperceived as being environmentally unsustainable when compared to historical or extensive farming systems. This project therefore provides the first science-based life-cycle assessment of dairy production, with reference to two contentious topics: 1) biotechnology use, and 2) modern vs. historical production systems.
impact statement response
The environmental impact of improving productive efficiency (milk output per unit of resource input) was examined using stochastic models based on the metabolism and nutrient requirements of the U.S. dairy herd. The first model investigated the environmental impact of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) use in lactating dairy cows compared to equivalent milk production from unsupplemented cows. Results demonstrated that supplementing one million cows with rbST saved enough fuel to heat 16,000 homes, enough water to supply approximately 10,000 households, mitigated carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking about 400,000 cars off the road, and reduced total environmental impact by 9%. The model has since been further refined to compare environmental impact of historical (1944) vs. modern (2007) U.S. dairy industries, demonstrating a 63% reduction in the carbon footprint per unit of milk over the past 60 years.
Target audiences for this work included academia, dairy industry professionals, government, and consumers. Outreach to these audiences has been achieved through presentations at scientific conferences, dairy industry meetings and expositions; participation in public forums; publication of peer-reviewed journal and popular press articles; and interviews and videos hosted on dairy industry websites.
impact statement summary
The environmental impact of improving productive efficiency (i.e., milk output per unit of resource input) was examined using models based on the metabolism and nutrient requirements of the U.S. dairy herd. The first model investigated the environmental impact of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) use in lactating dairy cows compared to equivalent milk production from unsupplemented cows. Results demonstrated that supplementing one million cows with rbST saved enough fuel to heat 16,000 homes, enough water to supply 10,000 households, mitigated carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking 400,000 cars off the road, and reduced total environmental impact by 9%. The model has since been further refined to compare the environmental impact of historical (1944) vs. modern (2007) U.S. dairy industries, demonstrating a 63% reduction in the carbon footprint per unit of milk over the past 60 years. Future studies will concentrate on evaluating the environmental impact of specific on-farm management practices.
